HP – Facial Recognition Technology Only Works With White People

I what could make HP look racist, it appears that their facial recognition technology only works with whites and not darker skinned people. The issue came to light when a YouTube video showed a black man named Desi demonstrated that a web can would not follow his movement but would with a white coworker entered the picture.

In a response HP stated:

“Everything we do is focused on ensuring that we provide a high-quality experience for all our customers, who are ethnically diverse and work around the world. That’s why when issues surface, we take them seriously and work hard to understand the root causes,” said HP social media strategist Tony “Frosty” Welch.

“The technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe the camera might have difficulty ‘seeing’ contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting,” said Welch.

“We are working with our partners to learn more,” said Welch

It seems that investors could care less about the issue since HP’s stock actually rose after the announcement. I seriously doubt the HP is racist and that the real culprit is just a software glitch that can be easily corrected.